Teen sustains burns after foot breaks through ground near Yellowstone geyser

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY — A 17-year-old suffered “significant thermal burns” to his foot and ankle near a geyser in Yellowstone National Park on Monday.

According to a news release from the park, the teenager was on a hike Monday morning in the vicinity of Lone Star Geyser near Old Faithful “when his foot broke through the thin crust and he suffered burns to a lower extremity.”

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Emergency medical staff responded and transported him to a hospital for further treatment. This incident is under investigation and Yellowstone National Park says there is no additional information to share.

“Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations,” the release says. “Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.”

Yellowstone National Park reminds visitors:

• Always walk on boardwalks and designated trails. Keep children close and do not let them run on boardwalks.
• Do not touch thermal features or runoff.
• Swimming or soaking in hot springs is prohibited. More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs.
• Pets are prohibited in thermal areas.
• Do not throw objects into hot springs or other hydrothermal features.
• Toxic gases may accumulate to dangerous levels in some hydrothermal areas. If you begin to feel sick while exploring one of our geyser basins, leave the area immediately.

This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2025, according to the release. The last reported incident occurred in September 2024.

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